Haunted
by MaioribusSpes
Summary: The war between the Equalists and Benders is over, and Mako has been living happily with Korra for a year. But when one visit to Bolin brings his perfect life to a screeching halt, Mako realizes that everything is not what it seems. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra.**

* * *

x **Haunted** x

* * *

It is cold; much too cold for Mako's liking. As the wind howls and snaps at the trees, he shoves his free hand in the pocket of his grey coat. In the other, he is carrying a two boxes of food from a small restaurant nearby. He walks fast, his feet crunching the snow beneath him and his head low.

He is headed to his apartment, where she'll be waiting for him.

Korra.

During the war, he and Asami had just... fallen apart. After the war ended, he had finally made the decision to tell Korra about his true feelings for her, and they'd been dating ever since. She still had her place back at the Air Temple, but one day Mako simply couldn't stand being alone in his apartment anymore, so he asked her to stay the night. Now, she practically lived with him.

Korra. He smiles at the thought of her, and suddenly he doesn't feel so cold anymore.

* * *

"Mako!" Korra screams, even before the door is even fully open. "What took you so long? I've been waiting for my food longer than I can handle!"

He chuckles and closes the door, clutching the bag of food to his side so she can't reach it.

"Mako," she groans in protest, "I'm starving! Stop it!"

Still smiling, he leans forward to kiss her cheek. Before his lips even have a chance to touch her skin, she snatches the bag from his hand and tears it open.

"Geez, you fatass," he says, poking her in the stomach as she travels towards the table.

She glares at him, her mouth stuffed full with noodles, and sits down. "Do that again," she says, giving Mako a full view of the food in her mouth, "and I will kill you."

"Oh, but you can't do that," he tells her as he grabs the leftover box on the table. "Then you'd die from starvation."

She contemplates this for a moment. "True," she admits, and she stands up to throw her empty box in the trash.

"You've got to be kidding," Mako says in disbelief. "You _finished_?" He has only begun opening his box.

Korra shrugs her shoulders in response. "I told you I was hungry."

"You finished that entire box in two bites. That can't be healthy," he tells her, putting a piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Who ever said I was healthy?" she asks, kissing his cheek as she passes by on her way to the couch.

At this, Mako stops eating for a second. "So you have to eat before you kiss me?" he questions, a noodle hanging from his mouth. "Is that how it is?"

Korra flashes a smile at him as she splays out on the couch. "Glad you know how things work around here."

"Nice to know my girlfriend really loves me," Mako drawls sarcastically, carefully putting the noodle back into his mouth with the splintered bamboo chopsticks he had recieved from the restaurant.

She lets out a laugh, and causes Mako to wonder if there's anything more beautiful in the world than the sound of Korra laughing.

"But I do love you," she replies, and suddenly Mako has the answer to his question. There is, and it's the sound of those words coming from the one he loves the most.

* * *

One day in the middle of winter, Korra looks up at Mako as he's playing with her hair. "Mako?" she asks, her eyes wide.

He lets his hands wrap around her waist, and rests his head on her shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Have you talked to Bolin recently?" Her breath tickles his ear and makes his skin tingle all over.

Mako pauses for a moment. "No," he answers. "I haven't talked to Bolin in quite a while. But he has his own place. He's part of the Metalbending Police Force now. He sends me letters sometimes."

"You should visit him," Korra suggests. "I bet he misses you. I'm sure you miss him."

Mako lifts his head from her shoulders and stretches his arms. It's funny, how he hasn't really thought of Bolin in the past few months. He can't even remember the last time he talked to him face-to-face. The guilt is seeping in, and Mako uses his finger to lift Korra's chin up.

"I don't miss anyone when you're around," he tells her, and presses his lips to hers.

It feels as if someone has set fire to his body, but there is no bending going on here. Every inch of his skin burns, but there has never been a kind of heat more enjoyable.

As Korra's hands encircle his neck and she pulls her closer towards him, the tiny space that was in between them vanishes, and it is body pressed against body - their heartbeats pounding together. All guilt vanishes from Mako's mind.

* * *

When Mako wakes up the next day, he reaches for Korra on the other side of the bed. He is expecting the curve of her waist, her smooth skin, her loose hair. Instead, he feels the cotton fabric of his bedsheets.

Startled, he quickly sits up in bed, searching the room for any sign of Korra. It is highly unlikely that she is up earlier than him, because Korra is _not _a morning person, but he searches anyway. He is hoping.

There is no trace of her in the room, so he quickly steps into a pair of boxers and walks out into his small living room. Nothing. He peeks into the kitchen. Nothing. His heart sinks as he heads back into the direction of his room, and on the way there he sees a note on the table.

_Had to go back to the Air Temple. Haven't seen Tenzin in a while, and I need some heavier clothes anyways. Be back tomorrow._

_Love, Korra._

Smiling at the small heart doodled next to her name, Mako sets the note back on the table and walks into his room to grab a change of clothes.

He's going to see Bolin today.

* * *

Mako doesn't even remember if he's visited Bolin's new apartment. He knows he has the address, and he knows where it is, but he can't remember what it looks like.

It probably resembles the aftermath of a tornado, knowing Bolin.

But then Mako wonders if he really know Bolin anymore. He hasn't seen him or talked to him in months, and a lot can change in a few months. But no, he tells himself. Nothing could change Bolin.

Bolin's apartment is just the right distance from Mako's; it is not too close to cause one to think Bolin still relies on Mako, and it is not too far to make one believe Bolin is purposely trying to get as far away from Mako as possible.

Mako stops in front of a brick building, about five stories tall, and looks down at the paper in his hand.

2_439 East Trail Apt #2B_

He squints his eyes to try and make out the address next to the door, and decides it looks close enough.

He swings the door open, and walks in. The floor is covered with brown tile, the walls are white, and the air smells slightly of antiseptic. It reminds Mako of a hospital, but he decides that it's better than some old, crumbling apartment building.

Mako takes the stairs, not the elevator. There are some things that an elevator just isn't meant for, and a journey up one floor is one of them. In the amount of time he would have to wait for the elevator door to open, he could already be upstairs.

He goes up the stairs quickly; his body light on his feet as he quietly alternates his feet back and forth. He can't remember when he started doing this; going up the stairs as if he was trying to sneak past someone.

Bolin's apartment is the second door to the left. Mako stops in the center, takes a deep breath, and raps on the door three times with his knuckles.

"Who is it?" Bolin asks in a sing-songy voice. Mako rolls his eyes and waits for Bolin to open the door.

"It's me," he states, matter-of-factly.

"Wha-" As Bolin opens the door and sees Mako standing at the door, his arms folded and face unamused, the expression on his face changes from goofy to shocked in a matter of seconds.

"Mako? Bro, what are you doing here?" He asks, like he's disappointed.

Mako shrugs. "Korra went to the Air Temple for the day, so I decided I'd visit you. I haven't seen you in a while." he tells his brother. Then, remembering Bolin's reaction, "If that's okay with you."

Bolin's expression goes from shocked to flat out confused. "Y-yeah," he stammers. "It's fine. Come inside." He swings the door open wide for Mako and closes it after he walks in.

"You okay, Bolin?" Mako asks as he walks into the living room, his eyesbrows crinkled in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bolin responds. "Tea?" He doesn't even wait for an answer as heads into the kitchen, leaving Mako by himself.

Why was Bolin acting so weird? He had never seen Bolin like this - he got sad sometimes, sure, but always in a whiny, weepy 10 year-old boy sort of way. Never anything like this. Bolin seemed... serious.

"Are _you _okay, Mako?" Bolin questions, both of his hands carrying a cup of steaming tea. He sets the cups on the small table in front of the couch, and motions for Mako to sit down. He obliges, and Bolin takes a seat next to him.

"What are you talking about, bro? I'm fine. I've never been better, honestly," Mako admits. "I'm really happy with Korra."

Bolin's face grows solemn, traces of sadness etched into his features.

"Seriously, Bolin, what's going on? You're freaking me out here," says Mako.

His brother turns his head to look at him, and his eyes are shining with tears.

"Mako," he says, shaking his head, "you got to wake up, bro."

Now, it is Mako's turn to be confused. "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly awake."

Bolin stands up, still shaking his head. "No. I mean you have to open your eyes, Mako. Come on."

Mako stands up as well. "Bolin. What the hell are you talking about? You know you can tell me anythin-"

"That's the problem, Mako!" Bolin shouts, stunning Mako into silence. He's never heard Bolin shout before. "I've told you millions of times, but you can't get it through your head! You can't accept it! And I know it's hard, bu-"

"Shut up, Bolin," Mako says angrily, cutting him off. "You're getting mad at me for something, and you won't even tell me what it is. What the _fuck_ is your problem?" He walks out of the apartment and slams the door, rattling the untouched cups of tea.

Bolin buries his head in his hands.

* * *

That night, Mako misses Korra more than ever. She does this occassionaly, since she still does technically live at the Air Temple, but he needs her right now. Not that he ever _doesn't _need her; it's just that right now, she's the only one that would listen. He would go to Bolin, and almost leaves his apartment to go talk to him until he remembers he's the reason he's feeling so damn _confused_.

Frustrated and angry, Mako decides to take a shower, hoping that the steam will clear the fogginess from his mind a little.

He ends up throwing fire at the shower wall in rage, only to have the steady flow of water hitting his back to put it out seconds later.

He does this for hours until he finally tires out and gives up, trudging to the bed in defeat.

Mako doesn't sleep at all that night.

* * *

When the Sun is just beginning to rise, he hears someone enter the apartment. He walks out to see who it is, although he can already picture her.

Brown hair, blue eyes.

Korra.

"Korra," he says, burying his face in her hair and inhaling.

She laughs softly and pushes him back. "What? Did you have a mental breakdown or something while I was gone?"

"No, nothing like that," Mako tells her, aching to feel her lips on his, "But Bolin might be going crazy."

Korra looks at him, questions written all over her face.

"I went and visited him while you were gone, like you suggested," says Mako. "But when I first got there, he looked totally surprised to see me there. And not a good kind of surprised. Then I started talking to him, and he was acting really weird. He was getting mad at me - actually shouting at me - I know," Mako says, noticing Korra's shocked face, "Bolin never shouts. But he was yesterday, and he wouldn't even tell me what was wrong. He said I had to 'open my eyes and wake up' or something like that."

"He said you had to 'open your eyes'?" Korra repeats, touching Mako's hand gently.

"Yeah," he confirms. "And he said he'd told me 'millions of times, but I couldn't get it through my head.' Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" He secretly hopes she doesn't, because if she does, that would mean she's been in contact with Bolin.

When he looks over at her, Korra's face looks strikingly similar to the way Bolin's had right before he had started yelling at him.

_What's wrong? _he begins to ask, and his lips are just forming around the words when Korra speaks.

"Yes," she says softly, "I do." She looks up at Mako, and tears are welling up in her eyes.

"Mako," she whispers, so soft he has to strain to hear her, "I'm dead."

* * *

And just like that, Mako's life comes tumbling down.

"What?" asks Mako, laughing. "What the hell did you eat for breakfast, Korra?"

"I'm not kidding," Korra says, and she doesn't look like she is.

But she has to be. This is insane.

"You're _right here_," Mako tells her, gesturing to her body. "You're not dead."

"Mako!" Korra yells loudly, gripping him by the shoulders. "I'm _not here_. I've never been here. I died almost a year ago, in the war. In the final battle between me and Amon, I didn't make it."

Mako stares at her blankly. This is mental. How can she be dead, when she's right in front of him? How can she be dead, when she's been here all this time?

More importantly, how can she be dead and he not know it?

"What can I do to make you accept it, Mako?" she cries, tears streaming down her face. "I'm dead! I am dead, goddammit! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Why," Mako says, his voice unintentionally cracking, "didn't you tell me?"

"How was I _supposed _to tell you?" shrieks Korra. "'Oh, I'm sorry, but you're going crazy and having hallucinations about your dead girlfriend?'"

"I'm... crazy?" Mako manages. The word feels foreign on his tongue.

Korra turns her back towards him, her body hunched over. "I didn't mean it like that, Mako. I'm sorry. You're not crazy. You are just hopelessly in love with me, you idiot."

"Hopelessly in love with you," he repeats in monotone. "Because you're dead, right?" He feels like every bone is breaking in his body.

Korra turns back towards him, her cheeks wet with tears. "Yes, Mako. I'm dead."

Mako roars at this, doubling over on the ground. This pain - it's unreal. It's like being ripped to a million shreds. It's all a bad nightmare, he tells himself. It's all just a terrible dream, and he'll wake up with Korra by his side. He pinches his arm so hard a trickle of blood appears on his wrist, and when he looks up, Korra is standing over him, looking at him sadly.

"Do something," he spits out through gritted teeth. "_Do something!_ Slap me, kiss me, kick me in the stomach. Stop standing there, for fuck's sake!"

A broken smile appears on Korra's face. "I'm sorry, Mako. I'm afraid all I can do is leave. I've been here too long." She presses her lips on his, so softly Mako wonders if he's imagined it, but then he realizes he has been all this time.

"You can't leave," he tells her, the taste of her salty tears on his lips - or are they his? "You can't leave me, Korra," he repeats, wiping the tears on his face away.

"I love you," he whispers, but when he looks up, there's no one there. She's gone.

"_I need you_." At this point, he doesn't even care if she's a hallucination or a ghost. He just needs to feel her skin on his; just needs to wrap his fingers in her hair, even if it's not real.

And that's when he remembers - the note. The note she left him before she went to the Air Temple Island - he never threw it away. With an unnatural giddy feeling inside him, Mako rushes to the table to hold the piece of evidence that proves he isn't crazy.

His hand slams down on the table to reach for the note, but all it meets is the wood surface of the of the tabletop.

The note isn't there.

* * *

Mako shows up again at Bolin's apartment, and when Bolin sees the look on his brother's face, he doesn't ask any questions.

It's five in the morning and Mako was just here nine hours ago, but when Mako shows up at his door with the saddest look on his face, Bolin lets him in with no questions asked.

He knows.

"You told me," Mako says in a flat voice, sitting down in the exact same spot he sat not long ago. "I'm sorry. I should've listened. You've visited, haven't you?"

"Every other day," Bolin admits, and when Mako breaks down into tears, all he does is put his hand on his trembling back.

"I loved her," Mako chokes out, and he sounds like he's dying. It sure feels like he is. "If she died a year ago, during the final battle... I never told her that."

"No, bro," Bolin tells him, patting him softly. "She knew. And she loved you too. You _love _her. You still do."

If someone is dead, Mako wonders, can you really love them? Is it possible to love a rotting corpse in the ground; someone who doesn't even exist anymore?

But he does still love her, because he can't afford not to.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, my first Makorra fic! Of course, it's terrible and full of angst. You're welcome. I could barely get through with this without wanting to tear my own heart out. Please let me know what you think by reviewing!**

**x MaioribusSpes**


End file.
